KTM frame failure - 2016 sx350

jridout12
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jridout12 6/12/2018 9:27am
6/12/2018 9:27am
yzrider53 wrote:
I recommend that anyone with a 16-16.5 break out the magnifying glass and take a really close look. Mine is cracked on both sides and most...
I recommend that anyone with a 16-16.5 break out the magnifying glass and take a really close look.
Mine is cracked on both sides and most of the way underneath.
I’m assuming this applies for the huskys as well? I have a 16 FC450 and this has me worried now
milliebays
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milliebays 6/12/2018 9:30am
6/12/2018 9:30am
milliebays wrote:
Totally. But theres enough evidence in this case to start with the presumption that it IS flawed (design or production or both), rather than isolated incident...
Totally. But theres enough evidence in this case to start with the presumption that it IS flawed (design or production or both), rather than isolated incident and the owners at fault.

Ppl too quick to defend ktm. People do it with SRAM in the bike world too, despite overwhelming evidence of poor engineering/production practices (swollen m/c piston seals anyone?)
seth505 wrote:
O thanks, I was considering going to SRAM brakes on my pedal bike :silly: Sidenote: I feel like Suzuki is the only current bike I haven't...
O thanks, I was considering going to SRAM brakes on my pedal bike Silly

Sidenote: I feel like Suzuki is the only current bike I haven't seen of broken online.
Hope Tech brakes are moto simple, bleed conventionally, and are completely rebuildable. Other than SRAM, only one's that still run DOT fluid.

http://www.hopetech.com/product/tech-3-e4/


New Formulas that run on mineral oil are supposed to be good too.


WarrenMX
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WarrenMX 6/12/2018 9:31am
6/12/2018 9:31am
If this is a particular issue with the 16's, is there any chance KTM would do a recall?
Manco
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Manco 6/12/2018 10:05am
6/12/2018 10:05am
I see in this thread there are some KTM owners finding cracks in their frames. Is one of you the dude that ghost rode their KTM off the 20 foot cliff in Moab late March? That would probably explain the crack you've found.


The Shop

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dirtywardog 6/12/2018 10:27am
6/12/2018 10:27am
I launched my 60 foot freestyle ramp 10 feet to flat on my 17sx250 and the bike soaked it up so well ill have to check the frame..............
RCMXracing
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RCMXracing 6/12/2018 10:32am
6/12/2018 10:32am Edited Date/Time 6/12/2018 11:09am
aees wrote:
KTM has already fixed this. If you buy a new frame (or get a replacement) to 16-17 bikes it is re-enforced. 19 is different frame and...
KTM has already fixed this. If you buy a new frame (or get a replacement) to 16-17 bikes it is re-enforced. 19 is different frame and it is also re-inforced. 18 i dont know about.

However, you can also see it from this side. I guess KTM sell like MX/enduro 10.000 bikes/frames of same model. Having 20 of the frames brake is not good but either not an case of epidemic failure.

I think that is exactly the cost of balancing of having the lightest and slimiest bike vs not...
MX915 wrote:
Is it? Does anyone have a picture of a reinforced vs. non-reinforced frame? Curious to see the difference. This one does not look like it broke...
Is it? Does anyone have a picture of a reinforced vs. non-reinforced frame? Curious to see the difference.

This one does not look like it broke in the same spot as the other pics floating around. Those breaks were on the down tube just above the "Y", not at the steering head like this one.

Concerning to say the least.
@aees What is the source of your “reinforced” frame information? Not saying your info is false but very suprised that wouldn’t be promulgated from KTM. Reinforcing would affect rigidity and they love to talk about tiny percentage changes in rigidity.
All frames break depending on the use, abuse. The one in the thread here clearly had a crack that propagated over time. OP is dead on, inspect your frames. This doesn’t alarm me. Ever since Pingree the forums eat this up. His was a steering stem BTW. Doesn’t matter, truth irrelevant. Start showing me 100’s of these and you’ll get my attention. I don’t care what the brand! Shit can fail. All the bikes are damn good nowadays. My RMZ was a great bike and everyone said Suzuki’s were junk.
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mx317
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mx317 6/12/2018 11:59am
6/12/2018 11:59am Edited Date/Time 6/12/2018 12:00pm
aees wrote:
KTM has already fixed this. If you buy a new frame (or get a replacement) to 16-17 bikes it is re-enforced. 19 is different frame and...
KTM has already fixed this. If you buy a new frame (or get a replacement) to 16-17 bikes it is re-enforced. 19 is different frame and it is also re-inforced. 18 i dont know about.

However, you can also see it from this side. I guess KTM sell like MX/enduro 10.000 bikes/frames of same model. Having 20 of the frames brake is not good but either not an case of epidemic failure.

I think that is exactly the cost of balancing of having the lightest and slimiest bike vs not...
MX915 wrote:
Is it? Does anyone have a picture of a reinforced vs. non-reinforced frame? Curious to see the difference. This one does not look like it broke...
Is it? Does anyone have a picture of a reinforced vs. non-reinforced frame? Curious to see the difference.

This one does not look like it broke in the same spot as the other pics floating around. Those breaks were on the down tube just above the "Y", not at the steering head like this one.

Concerning to say the least.
RCMXracing wrote:
@aees What is the source of your “reinforced” frame information? Not saying your info is false but very suprised that wouldn’t be promulgated from KTM. Reinforcing...
@aees What is the source of your “reinforced” frame information? Not saying your info is false but very suprised that wouldn’t be promulgated from KTM. Reinforcing would affect rigidity and they love to talk about tiny percentage changes in rigidity.
All frames break depending on the use, abuse. The one in the thread here clearly had a crack that propagated over time. OP is dead on, inspect your frames. This doesn’t alarm me. Ever since Pingree the forums eat this up. His was a steering stem BTW. Doesn’t matter, truth irrelevant. Start showing me 100’s of these and you’ll get my attention. I don’t care what the brand! Shit can fail. All the bikes are damn good nowadays. My RMZ was a great bike and everyone said Suzuki’s were junk.
Here is some pictures of my 2017. It's a little hard to tell in the pictures, but the gusset looks thicker than the broken ones.



wreckitrandy
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wreckitrandy 6/12/2018 4:09pm
6/12/2018 4:09pm
What's a reasonable service life of a frame?
Doddy
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Doddy 6/12/2018 4:17pm
6/12/2018 4:17pm
wreckitrandy wrote:
What's a reasonable service life of a frame?
Curious myself, for both Aluminium and Steel. I'd bet it isn't nearly as long as they are ran.
Pirate421
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Pirate421 6/12/2018 4:39pm
6/12/2018 4:39pm
I know I have seen/heard factory mechanics talk about it before. Something like KTM gets a handful of races out of a frame before they scrap it and the aluminum were twice as long. Maybe 5 races for steel and 10 for aluminum? I can’t remenber exactly but I did see it somewhere
MX915
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MX915 6/12/2018 4:55pm
6/12/2018 4:55pm
mx317 wrote:
Here is some pictures of my 2017. It's a little hard to tell in the pictures, but the gusset looks thicker than the broken ones. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/06/12/267678/s1200_frame1.jpg[/img]...
Here is some pictures of my 2017. It's a little hard to tell in the pictures, but the gusset looks thicker than the broken ones.



How many hours?
milliebays
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milliebays 6/12/2018 5:28pm
6/12/2018 5:28pm
Pirate421 wrote:
I know I have seen/heard factory mechanics talk about it before. Something like KTM gets a handful of races out of a frame before they scrap...
I know I have seen/heard factory mechanics talk about it before. Something like KTM gets a handful of races out of a frame before they scrap it and the aluminum were twice as long. Maybe 5 races for steel and 10 for aluminum? I can’t remenber exactly but I did see it somewhere
if true that's crazy that the steel bikes have a shorter fatigue life than the alloy frames. maybe they stretch sooner?

would love the inside scoop on this.
Squirrelings 6/12/2018 5:41pm
6/12/2018 5:41pm
milliebays wrote:
if true that's crazy that the steel bikes have a shorter fatigue life than the alloy frames. maybe they stretch sooner? would love the inside scoop...
if true that's crazy that the steel bikes have a shorter fatigue life than the alloy frames. maybe they stretch sooner?

would love the inside scoop on this.
That's exactly why. The steel frames stretch.
mx317
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mx317 6/12/2018 5:44pm
6/12/2018 5:44pm
MX915 wrote:
How many hours?
62
milliebays
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milliebays 6/12/2018 5:45pm
6/12/2018 5:45pm
milliebays wrote:
if true that's crazy that the steel bikes have a shorter fatigue life than the alloy frames. maybe they stretch sooner? would love the inside scoop...
if true that's crazy that the steel bikes have a shorter fatigue life than the alloy frames. maybe they stretch sooner?

would love the inside scoop on this.
Squirrelings wrote:
That's exactly why. The steel frames stretch.
sux. running katooms at the top aint cheap.

need to go carbon and be done with it. ∞ fatigue life. 0 stretch.
RCMXracing
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RCMXracing 6/12/2018 6:42pm
6/12/2018 6:42pm
Carbon would have some advantages, better ride than aluminum. I really like the new CRF’s, but having test ridden one back to back with my KTM I can’t get down with the rigid feel. Looooove the feel of a steel frame. Same with road bicycles. Chromoly steel over aluminum all day. Some folks on here act like there’s voodoo magic with these materials, it’s not simply steel vs. aluminum. Design, material thickness, type, welds, cast/forged pieces, etc., so much goes into it. The manufacturers went to aluminum because the process is less expensive. KTM made prototype aluminum frames. Steel was superior. I really hope they never go to aluminum. Now carbon, ?.
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BobPA
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BobPA 6/12/2018 7:11pm
6/12/2018 7:11pm
Just checked my frame...all good. Only 35 hours on it so far. 165+ on my old 350 with no issues.
ra450
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ra450 6/12/2018 7:47pm
6/12/2018 7:47pm
Figured I would chime in. This is my 16.5 Factory Edition, it's cracked on both sides. I'll be taking it to the dealer and see what they say about it.

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yzrider53
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yzrider53 6/12/2018 8:12pm
6/12/2018 8:12pm
ra450 wrote:
Figured I would chime in. This is my 16.5 Factory Edition, it's cracked on both sides. I'll be taking it to the dealer and see what...
Figured I would chime in. This is my 16.5 Factory Edition, it's cracked on both sides. I'll be taking it to the dealer and see what they say about it.
Same bike, same crack and same spot as mine on both sides.
yzrider53
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yzrider53 6/12/2018 8:18pm
6/12/2018 8:18pm

BobPA
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BobPA 6/12/2018 8:26pm
6/12/2018 8:26pm
ra450 wrote:
Figured I would chime in. This is my 16.5 Factory Edition, it's cracked on both sides. I'll be taking it to the dealer and see what...
Figured I would chime in. This is my 16.5 Factory Edition, it's cracked on both sides. I'll be taking it to the dealer and see what they say about it.
yzrider53 wrote:
Same bike, same crack and same spot as mine on both sides.
Think it is just powdercoat or into the frame?
yzrider53
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yzrider53 6/12/2018 8:31pm
6/12/2018 8:31pm
This is the same place circled in red.
mx317
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mx317 6/13/2018 4:02am
6/13/2018 4:02am
yzrider53 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/06/12/267790/s1200_35.jpg[/img]

Both of those look different from the pictures of my 17 above. Mine looks like it has a gusset there the others don't have. It may just be the way the photos were taken. Mine still looks good at 62 hours.
sandman768
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sandman768 6/13/2018 4:39am
6/13/2018 4:39am Edited Date/Time 6/13/2018 4:40am
This was same as my 16.5... The dealer should handle it....They will want the old frame before you get a new frame...take every piece/part you can off the old frame, mine did not come with the nuts for the lower engine mounts. order your moto hose "y" coolant hose connector kit when you get confirmation of your new frame....the new frame will not come with the "y" connector, I did not want to reuse it. ...take good photos of the wiring harness before you swap frames....if you do the swap.....it looks overwhelming but all the connector ends are slightly different so, hard to mess it up. My bike was down for 3 weeks total.....I had other bikes to ride....in 2006 my new yz450 grenaded a tranny, fought tooth & nail with Yamaha for just a parts allowance, they allowed parts only, then told me most of the gears were on national b/order due to everyone else blowing trannys......had to buy a new bike to finish the season....they all have issues....I"m a fanatic about riding, not about a certain manufacturers....
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Solidkm
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Solidkm 6/13/2018 6:12am
6/13/2018 6:12am
Keep us updated on resolutions, dealer or personal. Thanks

My frame is black, gonna be much harder to spot.
yzrider53
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yzrider53 6/13/2018 6:47am
6/13/2018 6:47am
sandman768 wrote:
This was same as my 16.5... The dealer should handle it....They will want the old frame before you get a new frame...take every piece/part you can...
This was same as my 16.5... The dealer should handle it....They will want the old frame before you get a new frame...take every piece/part you can off the old frame, mine did not come with the nuts for the lower engine mounts. order your moto hose "y" coolant hose connector kit when you get confirmation of your new frame....the new frame will not come with the "y" connector, I did not want to reuse it. ...take good photos of the wiring harness before you swap frames....if you do the swap.....it looks overwhelming but all the connector ends are slightly different so, hard to mess it up. My bike was down for 3 weeks total.....I had other bikes to ride....in 2006 my new yz450 grenaded a tranny, fought tooth & nail with Yamaha for just a parts allowance, they allowed parts only, then told me most of the gears were on national b/order due to everyone else blowing trannys......had to buy a new bike to finish the season....they all have issues....I"m a fanatic about riding, not about a certain manufacturers....
Good info/advice, Thanks. I know what I'm doing today Smile
I got the process started with my dealer yesterday and they said if KTM does anything it'll be frame only, no labor coverage.
Lastander
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Lastander 6/13/2018 7:07am
6/13/2018 7:07am
I posted last year about 3 of my friends having several framme failures, sx125 tc125 and sx450 and man did i get blasted.
i got almost threatened by a guy here, but in guessing that wont happen nowLaughing
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 6/13/2018 10:45am
6/13/2018 10:45am
From the guy who owns it:

"Hey guys. This topic is about my bike. So to answer a few questions I’m a 57 year old vet expert rider. I’ve owned 7 KTMs since 2007, this is the only one that’s done this. I race vet motocross with it, so nothing too crazy. I’m the original owner and pretty meticulous with the care of my bikes. I do wash it after every ride and pull the plastics and tank to clean it after every race weekend. KTMs are powder coated from the factory and I think it’s harder to see cracks in powder coating. It’s obvious it’s been cracked for a bit but I have know idea how long. I always blow off the bike after I wash it with a electric blow dryer called the air blaster. Mostly used by Harley guys. I pay attention to the down tube since it’s hollow I always made sure it was clean and dry. So I was surprised to see the rust in there. I’m not trying to bash KTM at all and will continue to ride one.

I felt the frame let go on the face of a small table top after a short downhill section of the track. So there was some significant suspension compression on the fairly steep jump face. To me it felt like the bars came lose and rolled down. I tried to pull them up while in the air but it wasn’t happening. So I thought to myself just hit the down side ride it out and deal with it. The jump was right before a corner so I wasn't hard on the gas going up the face. Its only about a 40 ft table, this is on the Hangtown track btw, the jump heading into the halfpipe. Anyway so when I landed the frame collapsed and I came to a dead stop. The bars where on my thighs and I was trapped on the bike, the frame had not come completely apart yet, It did when I freed myself. Luckily I only ended up with bruised thighs and sore shoulders. I got lucky. If it would have happened on any other jump on the track it would have been a lot worse.

Thanks for all the well wishes. Keep an eye on those frames. "
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fourfourone
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fourfourone 6/13/2018 11:24am
6/13/2018 11:24am
hate to say all the people who are die hard ktm fans but its really got to suck to have to worry about your frame cracking every time you ride.
Solidkm
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Solidkm 6/13/2018 11:37am
6/13/2018 11:37am
fourfourone wrote:
hate to say all the people who are die hard ktm fans but its really got to suck to have to worry about your frame cracking...
hate to say all the people who are die hard ktm fans but its really got to suck to have to worry about your frame cracking every time you ride.
Here we go

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